{In the Maple household}
It was December 25, meaning it was time for the holidays. Max and May had already gotten up early for their gifts, but mostly they just wanted to spend time with both of their parents.
Things had calmed down a little since everything happened, but every now and then they still worried for their dad, scared he might collapse at any moment. He hadn't, but that didn't make it any less terrifying, especially after they learned everything that had happened.
Still, so far things had mostly gone back to how they used to be in this household. Well...except for the fact that Norman was way more relaxed now and could finally act like a goofball with his kids, carefree since the Association wouldn't be a problem anymore.
But anyway, right now everyone was preparing the table while Caroline worked on Christmas dinner.
May and Max were helping set up the table, along with Max's Kangaskhan, who was now almost half as tall as Norman. He could even start properly training to get stronger now, though that could wait until after the snow was gone.
And May was mainly helping because Caroline made her promise not to try cooking, since May was absolutely helpless in the kitchen.
Meanwhile Norman came back inside, taking off his scarf and jacket, "I'm back…"
"Ah, dear, how was it? Did you invite Wally and his family over for dinner?" Caroline asked as she quickly poured him a hot cup of chocolate and handed it to him.
Norman took it and rubbed the back of his head, "I asked Wally and his parents if they wanted to come over for dinner, but they said they were taking a vacation to Alola to celebrate Wally's recovery and the fact that he got all eight Gym Badges."
Yeah, it had been a few weeks now and Wally hadn't needed his inhaler anymore. It was a shock to everyone, but apparently climbing Sky Pillar helped heal his lungs, so he was completely healthy now, and his family couldn't have been happier.
"Ah really? Well, that's too bad…" Caroline sighed helplessly.
May stopped and started counting on her fingers, "Okay, then in that case, if they're not coming, that's gonna be me, Max, Mom and Dad, Ash—"
May stopped herself and realized something, "Oh. I wonder if Ash is gonna stay."
"Hmm, Big Bro Ash said he was going to visit today," Max said, laying his head dramatically on the table.
May thought for a second, "Well, Ash said he'd come by and bring one of his mom's cakes too, but I don't know if he can stay. Then again, I didn't actually invite him, so—"
"Hey, you better invite Ash," Norman interrupted, turning toward May with a very serious expression, "It's fine if you can't make it, but absolutely make sure to invite Ash. It's just not Christmas without him."
May's eye twitched, "I will run you out of this house on Christmas…" she muttered.
Even though she knew he didn't really mean the first part and was just messing around more now, she could also tell he was completely serious about the last part.
May sighed, rubbing her temple, "Ash is busy. He probably wants to hang out with his mom and Molly too."
"But that's why it's your job to bring him here," Norman said while sipping his drink, "Can't you tell him he can bring his family too?"
"I told you, Ash's mom also runs a restaurant, but on Christmas it's basically a bakery. I can't invite them," May said exhaustedly.
"Aww, Ash might not join us," Caroline said, putting a hand on her cheek, "How lonely."
May immediately thought she meant lonely for her and quickly replied, "I'm not sad about it if that's what you're worried about."
Caroline looked back at May, "We're all sad about it," she said like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Then Caroline casually walked back into the kitchen like she hadn't just dropped an emotional bomb onto May's head.
May stared at her mother for a second, "…Mom."
"What?" Caroline asked innocently from the kitchen.
"You are absolutely making this weird."
"I have no idea what you mean."
Norman snorted into his hot chocolate, "Ash did save my life and helped save Hoenn. He's gotta be here."
"That's not how that works!" May said exasperatedly.
Max suddenly lifted his head dramatically from the table.
"Big Bro Ash is gonna spend Christmas alone and unloved…"
May pointed at him immediately, "You stop that right now."
"But sis, what if he's standing outside in the snow holding a tiny cake all by himself?"
"He has a family! You met Molly!"
"But what if they're too busy and he's sad?"
"He wouldn't—"
Max interrupted dramatically.
"And then he looks through the window and sees other happy families eating together—"
"MAX!"
Norman suddenly put a hand over his chest and looked emotional, "Honey...we can't allow that."
May slowly turned toward him, "Dad, you guys are literally making up a Hallmark movie scenario."
"I'm just saying," Norman nodded solemnly, "if Ash tragically wandered the streets of Hoenn alone on Christmas after saving the world and fixing my emotional issues, I'd never forgive myself."
"You didn't have emotional issues," May rubbed her temple, "And in case you forgot, Ash is Kantonian. Why would he be wandering around Hoenn?"
Norman gasped dramatically, "You're right...he'd be wandering around Hoenn and homesick."
May stared at him in disbelief.
Max immediately joined in, "And cold…"
"And hungry," Caroline added casually from the kitchen.
"And emotionally abandoned," Norman finished.
May pointed accusingly at all of them, "You are all insane."
Kangaskhan beside Max gave a supportive "Kanga!" and nodded.
"Not you too!"
Max suddenly grinned and bolted out of his chair, quickly stealing May's phone, "I'm gonna call him myself!"
May's eyes widened, "MAX DON'T YOU DARE!"
The second Max started running, May launched after him, "GET BACK HERE!"
Max ran through the living room laughing while clutching the phone like it was treasure, "You can't stop me! Big Bro Ash deserves happiness!"
"ASH IS HAPPY!"
"And Ash deserves to be part of the family!"
"THAT'S NOT YOUR DECISION!"
Norman leaned against the wall sipping his hot chocolate while watching the chaos unfold, and Caroline chuckled lightly.
Then, as Max tried escaping May again, she finally caught him and grabbed him by the back of his hoodie. She took her phone back and tucked Max under one arm.
"I'm gonna throw you into the snow."
"Ah, Big Bro save me!" Max cried dramatically.
"Will you stop calling him that?" May huffed.
"No! Big Bro Ash said I could call him that!"
"Well he's not here, and calling him won't save you now!"
But then, right on cue, they heard knocking at the door.
All four of them immediately turned toward the entrance at the same time.
Norman quickly fixed his posture.
Caroline hurriedly adjusted her apron and hair.
May stared at both of them in disbelief.
"WHY ARE YOU TWO FIXING YOURSELVES?!"
Norman looked offended, "Ash is a guest."
"You were literally laying upside down on the couch five seconds ago!"
"That was before."
Max was already halfway to the door, "I'LL GET IT!"
"No you don't," May said, grabbing him by the hood again and dragging him back, "I'll get the door. You calm down. Actually, all of you should."
She sighed exhaustedly and walked over to the entrance.
When she opened the door, Ash stood there bundled up in a scarf and winter jacket, holding a cake box in one arm and several gift bags in the other. Pikachu sat on his shoulder wearing a tiny red scarf, while Vee was curled inside Ash's scarf trying to stay warm.
Ash smiled the moment he saw her.
"Hey, Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas," she finally answered.
Pikachu waved, "Pika!"
Vee poked his head out slightly, "Vui…"
Then suddenly Max's voice exploded from behind her, "BIG BRO ASH!"
Ash barely had time to react before Max slammed into him in a hug.
"Oof—" Ash stumbled slightly, laughing as he balanced the cake box, "Hey Max."
"You came!"
"I said I would, didn't I?"
Max looked up dramatically.
"I knew you wouldn't abandon us on Christmas."
Ash blinked, "…What?"
May immediately pointed behind herself accusingly.
"Don't listen to them, they've all lost their minds."
Norman suddenly appeared behind May with the fastest fake-casual expression Ash had ever seen.
"Ash!" Norman smiled way too innocently, "Good timing."
Ash stared at him, "…Were you hiding behind the wall?"
"No."
"You absolutely were," May cut in.
Before Norman could defend himself, Caroline walked over smiling warmly.
"Oh my, you're freezing." She immediately grabbed Ash by the arm and started pulling him inside, "Come in already."
"A-Ah, okay," Ash laughed helplessly as he got dragged inside.
The second he stepped in, Max shut the door dramatically behind him like they were protecting him from a blizzard.
Ash laughed awkwardly while taking his boots off near the entrance.
"I brought the cake," he said, lifting the box slightly, "and also some gifts for everyone."
Caroline immediately looked delighted, "You didn't have to bring gifts too."
"Well…" Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I thought it would be rude if I didn't."
Norman put a hand on Ash's shoulder dramatically, "Your mom raised you too well."
"Dad, stop acting like you're about to cry," May said exasperatedly.
"I almost died this month, May. Let me have emotions."
"You say that every hour now!"
Ash snorted, trying not to laugh, "Ha, May, your family's a riot."
May finally looked over at Ash while he took his scarf off, "So...are you staying for dinner?"
Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Ah...actually I can't."
The room went weirdly quiet.
Ash quickly waved his hands.
"But I can stay for a little bit! I just can't stay all day. I promised Molly I'd go play with her today, and I left her with Green and Gary for now."
The sadness vanished instantly.
Norman immediately grabbed Ash by the shoulder, "Perfect. Let's play cards."
"Ash dear, you must be freezing," Caroline smiled warmly, "Come on, I'll make you something hot to drink."
"And then we can battle after!" Max added excitedly.
Ash got dragged into the living room before he could even properly respond, "A-Ah okay…" he laughed helplessly, "But I really do have to leave after a little while."
That was one hour ago.
—
Ash was exhausted.
"I really need to go now…"
Ash was currently half-standing from the couch while Norman held onto his sleeve.
"One more round."
"You've said 'one more round' four times!"
"That sounds like quitter talk."
"I'm literally trying to leave!"
Meanwhile, Caroline walked over carrying another fresh mug of hot chocolate.
"You should drink this before you go outside again."
"Mrs. Maple, I already had two—"
"And growing boys need energy."
In the background, chaos was actively unfolding.
Vee was currently being chased around the living room by May's Glaceon and Skitty.
"Vuiii! [Why me?!]"
Both Pokémon happily followed after him completely smitten while Vee desperately ran for his life around the furniture.
"Skittyyyy~"
"Glaaace~"
Unfortunately, Pikachu wasn't doing much better.
May's Minun had apparently developed a crush on him recently and was currently chasing Pikachu around the couch.
"Miiiinun~!"
"Pika! [Not again!]" Pikachu cried while continuing to run.
Eventually, though, Ash did manage to convince them that he really needed to leave, though not without everyone sounding disappointed. Even May looked exhausted.
"Okay, I'll walk him to the door, and you guys better not try following behind us!" May said, catching Norman and Max already secretly putting on their shoes.
Both of them flinched when May called them out and immediately looked down dejectedly.
So, like she said, she walked Ash to the door and sighed apologetically.
"Sorry about them…"
"No, it's fine, really." Ash scratched the back of his head, "I'd like to stay, but I really do need to go."
As he said that, Pikachu and Vee finally managed to escape and rushed over to Ash again. Pikachu climbed onto Ash's shoulder looking exhausted, while Vee collapsed into Ash's scarf after narrowly escaping from two overly affectionate Pokémon.
May crossed her arms while watching them both, "Looks like my house exhausted all of you."
Ash laughed, "I guess so, but it was nice though."
"That's one way to say it," May muttered before suddenly remembering something, "Oh yeah, um...Ash, I have something for you."
May quickly went back inside before returning with a wrapped box.
"Here. This is for you...as a thank you...for everything you do," May said quietly near the end.
Ash blinked and carefully took it.
But when he started to open it, May quickly stopped him, "Wait! You can't open it here. You have to open it later, okay? Promise?"
Ash blinked before chuckling softly and nodding, "Okay."
May looked like she wanted to say something else, but then she heard something and glanced toward the window.
Norman and Max were both spying on them from inside.
May sighed immediately, "You should go before they drag you into a group photo."
"Err...yeah, good point," Ash admitted awkwardly.
Then he looked back at her and smiled, "Text you tomorrow."
May smiled back and nodded, "You better."
With that, Ash stepped back and whistled.
Abby appeared beside him and grabbed onto him before teleporting them away instantly.
May sighed before looking back toward the window.
Norman and Max immediately fled the second they saw her glare. Unfortunately for them, it was already too late. May had already started chasing them.
—
{Back in Pallet Town}
Ash had Abby teleport him outside his house since he didn't want snow getting tracked inside.
The streets were quiet right now. Most people were celebrating together with family, a mom, and...a dad.
Ash immediately slapped his own cheeks. Nope. He absolutely did not care about that at all. Anyone who thought otherwise was crazy.
He sighed, rubbing his eyes as he rested a hand on the front door. Now that everything was finally quiet, he could actually think.
Everyone was safe and happy. Brock was probably at home right now introducing Lucy to his family, and honestly, Ash was happy for him. Brock deserved a win.
Meanwhile Hoenn was still rebuilding. So much so that all the Gym Leaders had announced their Gyms would remain closed for the rest of the season since they were busy helping with reconstruction.
The Hoenn Grand Festival was still going to happen, but no more people could earn Gym Badges.
So only Trainers who already had all eight Badges would be allowed to participate. Though for the sake of fairness, the League also made an exception for Trainers who were only one Badge short. They could still participate, but they would have to go through preliminaries first, while those with all eight Badges would skip directly to the finals.
Thank goodness Juan decided to give Ash a Badge as thanks for helping save Hoenn.
But because of everything going on, Ash had also received a lot of invitations from Gym Leaders and friends asking him to spend the holidays with them. Not just in Hoenn either. People back in Johto and Kanto invited him too.
Still, Ash turned them all down, he already had plans. Though he did send Santa Abby around delivering presents to everyone who invited him.
As for the money needed for all that...Well, that wasn't really a problem.
Finally Ash relaxed and pushed the door open. The second he stepped inside, something small immediately latched onto his waist.
Ash looked down and saw Molly hugging him tightly, "Big Brother, you're back!" Molly said happily.
Ash blinked, but then he heard more voices.
"There you are. Come on, close the door already. You're gonna make Molly catch a cold," Green called out while helping Delia set the table.
Ash smiled softly and shut the door before taking off his jacket and picking Molly up, "Okay, sorry I'm late. I got held up."
"Aww sweetie, you know it's fine, but maybe you should apologize to Molly. Fufufu~" Delia chuckled.
Molly immediately crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks, "Yeah, Big Brother, you took too long."
Ash just pinched her cheek lightly, instantly making Molly giggle and forget all about it.
Then Gary walked out of the living room holding his phone, "Daisy said she'll stop by in about thirty minutes. She's just waiting for Courtney's therapy session to end first."
"Oh, Courtney is coming too? It's been such a long time," Delia said warmly, remembering when Courtney used to visit before everything happened, "I'm glad you all found her. In fact, I think I still remember her favorite kind of cake. I should try making it."
"Mom, I don't think you need to do that much," Ash said while walking over, "You already did enough today. Why don't I finish the cooking instead?"
Delia smiled fondly and rubbed Ash's head, "Oh Ash, you know you'll never be as good at cooking as your mother, so sit down and relax."
"Oh! Oh!" Green suddenly exclaimed dramatically, "Ash needs some ice for that burn!"
Ash slowly turned toward her.
"Oh, I know you aren't talking. At least I can cook. Should I remind you what happened the last time you tried?"
"…No comment."
"That reminds me, why are you guys spending Christmas here anyway?" Ash asked.
"Gramps is out of Kanto working in Sinnoh," Gary answered without looking up from his phone.
"And your mom invited my parents over too. They're just finishing some stuff up. They should be here soon," Green added happily.
Ash sighed dramatically, "So I'm stuck with both of you again."
"Oh come on, Ashy, you love us," Green said smugly.
"That's debatable."
"What's debatable is how hard you try to pretend you hate us and still fail," Gary added.
"I do hate you both."
"We love you too, Ashy~" Green smirked.
Ash sighed while setting Molly down.
As he did, Pikachu and Vee climbed off him. Pikachu rested on Molly's head, making the little girl giggle, while Vee landed on the floor.
The second he did, Green's Poké Ball suddenly shook.
Then her Eevee popped out, And the moment she saw Vee, he immediately cried out, "Vee! [Not again!]"
Vee immediately bolted while Green's Eevee happily chased after him.
Ash stared blankly, "…I'm not even gonna unpack that."
He sat down on the couch and reached for his bag to put it away. But the second he grabbed it again, it started shaking.
Everyone immediately looked over. Ash quickly opened it and saw the Egg inside glowing and shaking violently.
Ever since they left Rota, it hadn't moved once, and Ash had checked multiple times to make sure it wasn't dead. But now it was finally hatching.
The Egg split open, and a small blue, dog-like Pokémon poked its head out, a Riolu.
Ash carefully picked Riolu up and held him in his hands. Riolu blinked curiously up at him.
Then suddenly his ears twitched. Without warning, Riolu pulled back one tiny fist and smacked Ash directly in the cheek with a tiny Aura-infused jab.
Green blinked once, "…Did he just punch Ash?"
Gary instantly snorted.
Molly gasped dramatically, "The baby attacked!"
Pikachu burst out laughing.
Riolu stared at Ash very seriously after punching him, like he was waiting for a reaction.
But Ash didn't even flinch. Instead, he smiled wider while still holding him up, "Heh...you'll have to do better than that, buddy."
Green snorted, "Ash, I'm pretty sure newborns aren't supposed to come out throwing hands."
Gary crossed his arms, "Actually, considering it hatched for Ash, this feels about right."
Delia walked over carrying a bottle of Pokémon baby formula, "Here, try this." She handed it to Riolu.
And somehow, despite immediately punching Ash, Riolu couldn't bring himself to even attempt hitting Delia after seeing her smile. So he carefully accepted the bottle and started drinking from it.
"Seems about right," Ash chuckled while carefully setting Riolu down so he could nap.
"Guess your Pokémon like your mom more than they like you," Gary teased.
"Yeah, and?" Ash shrugged, "My mom's awesome. I love my mom. Your point?"
"Dang, I forgot how much of a mama's boy you are," Gary sighed dramatically.
Delia chuckled softly, "Well enough of that. We can all get to know your new Pokémon after dinner. Come sit down, everyone. Dinner's almost ready."
Ash smiled softly, he really meant it, sure he had plenty of offers from people wanting him to spend the holidays with them, or just hang out
But honestly? Ash would rather be here than anywhere else.
But the same couldn't be said for everyone else.
—
{In Unova}
N tightly held the white stone while frantically turning it over in his hands like he was searching for a button that didn't exist.
"Come on, come on...how does this thing work?!" He was flying through the night sky on Zekrom while fleeing from something.
To understand what happened, let's go back a little.
For most of his life, N believed everything Ghetsis told him without question.
And today, after finally earning Zekrom's recognition, he rushed back to the castle to tell his adopted father the good news.
But when he arrived. he heard battling.
Immediately N became cautious and snuck closer to investigate, then he saw it. Ghetsis was battling someone. A young boy maybe around 16 years old, N recognized him immediately. Hilbert, the recent winner of the Vertress Conference.
N was confused about why Hilbert was there, but he instinctively prepared to help Ghetsis.
At first he didn't question why Ghetsis even had Pokémon or why he was battling so well. After all, Ghetsis always claimed he wasn't good at Pokémon battles and would never catch Pokémon because Pokémon deserved freedom instead of being forced to battle.
Yet now N was watching Ghetsis command a Hydreigon against Hilbert's team. But just as N prepared to step in, he heard Hydreigon's voice, and he heard the pain and hatred, but it was towards Ghetsis
N froze. Then his eyes widened in horror as he noticed the shock collar wrapped around Hydreigon's neck. Ghetsis was forcing him to fight.
N couldn't move, his mind struggled to process what he was seeing.
And during that hesitation, Ghetsis won. Hilbert collapsed to his knees after returning his unconscious Pokémon, he had no more Pokemon
Then Ghetsis smirked and pulled out the Light Stone. The room glowed brightly, and when the light faded, Hilbert was gone, Ghetsis had sealed him inside the stone.
As Ghetsis began laughing maniacally, N finally stepped out from hiding, "What are you doing?!"
And that was how he ended up here. Using Zekrom's power, N managed to steal the Light Stone from Ghetsis and escape into the night sky while desperately trying to figure out how to free Hilbert.
But behind him, Ghetsis chased after them on Hydreigon. Hydreigon didn't want to obey, but he had no choice.
And seeing that his "perfect king" was beginning to rebel, Ghetsis decided he would simply start over.
So Ghetsis gave Hydreigon an order. Hydreigon gathered a [Dark Pulse]. But he wasn't aiming at Zekrom, he was aiming at N.
The blast slammed into N's shoulder, forcing him to drop the Light Stone as he fell from Zekrom's back.
As he plummeted while clutching his shoulder in pain, Zekrom managed to dive after both him and the Stone. But in doing so, they crashed violently into the forest below.
N groaned in pain while clutching his bleeding shoulder as he heard Ghetsis above them ordering Team Plasma to search the forest.
N took a shaky breath. He couldn't let Ghetsis get the Stones and get their power until he learned the truth.
So he looked toward Zekrom and held out the Light Stone, "Run. Hide yourself and the Light Stone," N said quickly, "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. Just go."
Zekrom nodded, then it glowed and quickly turned into the Dark stone, then both the Dark Stone and Light Stone began glowing before shooting into the sky at incredible speed, separating and scattering across Unova so fast that even Ghetsis lost track of them.
Hydreigon actually saw where they went, but he had no intention of telling Ghetsis, he hated him.
In fact, the reason Ghetsis even had a mechanical arm was because Hydreigon ripped the original one off while Ghetsis tried forcing the shock collar onto him.
Meanwhile N looked around desperately. Pokémon from the forest were staring at him nervously.
"Help me," N whispered weakly.
N had a special Power, he could understand Pokémon, and speak to them, and bond with them
And immediately the Pokémon recognized that N was a good person. So they helped hide him inside a hollow tree. N had grown up in the wilderness, so he was used to surviving like this. Meanwhile Team Plasma searched everywhere but failed to find him.
Eventually even Ghetsis gave up and redirected everyone toward searching for the Stones instead. Still, now that Team Plasma learned N was the one who escaped with them, some members started hesitating.
Though nobody openly questioned Ghetsis yet, N knew he couldn't do much right now. He needed time to recover.
But after that, maybe he could gather the Team Plasma members who genuinely believed they were helping Pokémon and get them to join him instead.
Because now he needed answers. Why did Ghetsis do that? Had he lied to him all this time? Or was there something N still didn't understand?
And if there was more to it, why did Ghetsis attack him instead of trying to capture him alive?
Hydreigon hadn't intentionally aimed for N's shoulder. He did that himself because he liked N,
But for now, N needed to recover, and after that, he needed to rescue Anthea and Concordia before Ghetsis decided to do something to his sisters too.
Meanwhile, as the Light and Dark Stones separated, the Light Stone hid itself deep within an abandoned area where nobody would ever find it unless it wanted to be found.
Because the Stones themselves could move. If they didn't want to be found, they wouldn't be.
Meanwhile, the Dark Stone traveled somewhere else entirely.
To a hidden settlement known as the Village of Protecting Time.
There, a green-haired boy was training, not with Pokémon. He was literally punching a tree. The people in this village didn't use Poké Balls, so they couldn't catch Pokémon.
Instead, this boy, whose name was Ryouga, trained his own body to become strong enough to rival Pokémon themselves.
Because one day he planned to leave the village and search for his missing father.
And don't even try telling him that's impossible. Because if you did, he'd train twice as hard for twice as long. There was nothing Ryouga hated more than the word 'impossible.'
He had been training for years now, and while he didn't possess any special powers, he had still become ridiculously strong.
Of course, not strong enough to beat a Pokémon yet. He could only carry boulders twice his size. Clearly, that wasn't enough.
But while training tonight in his secret spot, something suddenly fell from the sky.
Ryouga looked up and immediately panicked after spotting a black object plummeting directly toward him. Without hesitation, he threw himself behind a nearby tree.
A second later, the object smashed through the massive tree Ryouga had spent years punching and shattered it effortlessly before slamming into the ground with a massive explosion.
Ryouga slowly pulled himself back up and cautiously approached the crater.
At the center rested the Dark Stone. He had absolutely no idea what it was, but he did see it and thought that it was a really cool rock, so naturally, Ryouga picked it up.